HYDERABAD: An upswing in ‘post
covid sequelae’ cases is being seen in the city with many who had contracted Covid-19 in April and May last year reporting back to pulmonologists.
Covid sequelae is referred to as an acute complication arising from a chronic disease.
While lung fibrosis remains the most common post Covid complication with many requiring long-term oxygen support, people who had been in ICU set up and critically ill (accounting for less than 10% of all Covid patients) are at risk of long-term effects.
“The usual presenting complaint of covid sequelae cases is that they used to have no respiratory problem prior to developing Covid, but even months after recovery, having tested negative and discharge, they continue to have persistent dry cough and breathlessness. We are seeing many such cases of Covid sequelae,” said Dr Pradyut Waghray, chief pulmonologist, Kunal Institute of Medical Specialities.
“A few of them may require ventilatory assistance in view of severely damaged lungs. However, most patients, who require this, may have had a history of prolonged ICU admission or prior heart or lung-related ailments, or they may suffer from immunocompromised conditions like underlying diabetes or chronic kidney disorder,” said Dr Viswesvaran Balasubramanian, consultant interventional pulmonology and sleep medicine, Yashoda Hospitals.
A subset of these patients might even end up having lung transplantation due to irrecoverable damage to lungs. There has been a surge in the incidence of myocardial infarction and brain stroke, following recovery in Covid survivors, he added.
Cases which might have not been detected as Covid previously, but later detected with severe fibrosis fall in this category.
“In such patients, who might have had good immunity and the initial symptoms were ignored or not detected, slowly there might be some changes in the lungs and later these are categorised as post Covid fibrosis when detected. While majority of the patients with fibrosis are doing good, but patients having multiple complications like neurological, fungal or clot formations are not responding well to treatment,” said Dr A Raghukanth, senior consultant pulmonologist, Medicover Hospitals.